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Hi All,
Well ive finally managed to finish my latest fun video on building my snow plow, not that ill get to use till next winter, but its done:)
Hope you enjoy it!
Now i need to find time to get the charging system tested.
cheers, Daniel

I made my decision yesterday on my new chainsaw with a 20" bar. Although I have bought Stihl products for the last few years, after reading other forums specific to timber I decided to buy a Dolmar. I had initially thought of the next model up from what I bought which is their PS-6400. The Dolmar dealer, after lengthy discussion, led me to rethink my actual needs. I rarely fell a tree (I have large trees and will go to a pro for that) so do more limbing and bucking.
The Stihl MS 261 C-M was what I compared the Dolmar PS-5105 to. To start, the Stihl was $180.00 more than the Dolmar. The horsepower is lower on the Stihl by .15 and the Dolmar's weight is .3 pounds heavier. The Dolmar is easier to maintain the top end as the cover is one piece covering the filter and cylinder head. This Dolmar model also has a one-touch lever by the right thumb similar to the Stihl. This last item is actually better than the Stihl as "Stop" is actually a downward movement. Both can take a 20" bar. Bottom line though is that the Dolmar has nice balance and "feels" right to me.
So I bought the PS-5105. This is considered a "Pro" saw as the crankcase is made from magnesium instead of aluminum. This lightens the saw (powerhead) by .4 pounds and has an increase of .6 horsepower over their PS-510. Later on into the two-year warranty and just to make sure that there are no problems, I plan on replacing the muffler with a non-cat type plus doing some port work as well. That should bump the performance a bit more.
It also helps that it is red and the dome is black! I plan on using it today.

I started out last summer picking up a 1990 520H parts tractor that had no rear tires, front axle, engine, gas gauge, volt gauge, hour meter, and no steering. The hood and fenders had a lot of rust pits, and paint was pealing off in many places. I got it cheep and wanted for a loader tractor. I already had the forward swept axle, and gear deducted steering, And as for the rear tires I wanted 26x12x12's on it. I picked up a good running kohler 18hp Magnum from Kelly and started piecing it together bit by bit. I installed one of Matt's foot control assembly's on it and painted the tins (hood not finished yet still in primmer). I got it running today and took it for a spin with NO hood on it as it isn't ready yet. I have to say that it is faster then any of my other tractors by far! and the pedal control is just SWEET!!! It works Great from slow to fast and centers when you take your foot off. I am so happy with the way this tractor is turning out that I may need to find another one to put the loader on It's a blast to drive and is so much easier to drive then my 96 520H with the foot control! I have worked on this tractor hear and there as not to brake the bank if you know what I mean. I got all the gauges to work but the tach. Still need to play with that a little more to find out whats wrong with it. I got some new decals from Terry coming soon and we will see how they look in a few days. Hear are the pics
Look at the lift lever, I moved the control from the steering wheel to hear as it will have a 3 point on back. this way I won't get bumped while using the loader.
Hydro motion lever is also removed

Well lets see
loader project with power steering
rebuilding a KT17 II for a tractor I haven't even picked up yet
Install new rings in the 875
rebuild a snow cab frame for my blower tractor
restore my c160
repair the back lip of my bathtub trailer
refresh the engine on my 417 v blade tractor
and on and on with what ever comes next LOL

Personally, the side discharge deck works better for launching unseen objects. They are also better for blasting holes in vinyl siding, with even the smallest of those objects. Rear discharge decks, on the other hand, don't score nearly as high in this feature. Still, as a counter-point, the rear disch decks leave most of the object exactly where it was found, or just a few feet away.

A week ago, I was just finishing cleaning up the latest 12 inch snowfall with my single stage blower on the 416, when things started flopping around in the PTO area. I quickly disengaged and determined that the thrust bearing on the PTO had finally given up.
It took me about 15 minutes to remove the PTO pulley, remove the snap ring, and drive out the old bearing.
It took about another 15 minutes to clean things up, go to my stash and get a new bearing, some new snap rings for the stub-shaft, and re-install everything.
30 minutes later, my machine and I are good to go back to work.
Try that on a Cub-Cadet.

Snuck out to get a few more hours on the loader today. I got my surplus center order last Monday.
Started to cut the ends off.
And weld the old ends back on the new cylinders
Mounted them on the loader for a test fit
Made up some brackets to mount the bucket to the loader
Just need to Make 4 of the holes in the plates square to fit the factory grease able carriage bolts. Then I can weld them on.

Thanks very much for all the very prompt and detailed replies. Much appreciated.
It appears that photos are in demand, so two taken by the prior owner are posted.
I will be following the recommended troubleshooting steps next weekend.
The loader operated fine, good speed and capacity. There is a hydraulic leak on one of the hoses or reservoir connection and a slight leak from the transaxle. So fluid level is a good suspect.
I looked through the manual postings, but the designations are a bit of a mystery for a newbie. Is there a basic manual for the D-180?
And again, apologies from a newbie, but where is the tractor id plate located?
Thanks very much.

Just got finished clearing away the rest of the problem trunk. It was on a slope and I needed to make sure I had sound footing with each cut because there is quite a bit of weight involved. The Dolmar was great for being a new saw out of the box and had plenty of power. My "real" Blackhood also helped out, and then a shot of 2/3rds of my timber arsenal.
This should all be nicely seasoned for next fall.

Time for another SUPPORT MEMBER raffle.
The following 15 inch neon clock will be raffled off
and all you have to do is go to the raffle area and grab a free ticket.
Drawing to be held March 15th but don't wait too long as there can be an
instant popup mystery prize drawn at any time till this raffle ends.
NOTICE!
We will not ship these clocks out of country so if one of our international wheel Horse brothers should win
they will rec a $75 store credit at redoyourhorse.com Which can be used when purchasing any decals I have listed.
I can ship decals first class international. If the winner is in the US they can choose this option if they so desire.
Basically you could trade for whats behind door # 2.
the winner of the clock can contact me and let me know how they want there clock to look.
A picture of your favorite tractor or what ever you want.
well almost what ever you want.
The raffle opens as soon as Coach gets it going. Thank you all again for your support of
the forum.
I am just using my good friend Martins C-125 as an example of what you might want on your clock.
The clock will actually have hands on it when it comes. Varosd will vouch for that.
Yes Don you can actually win again but it is not likely. And Bob don't worry I am bringing one for the
big show raffle so you are sure to win that one.

Update.... Once I got inside, as expected, the spider gear popped off with relatively little effort. The spider looks fine, no cracks, just a little stretched. Instead of purchasing a new or used cam gear with a better spider, I decided to Loctite Blue the old spider on. If it does not work, I will have to get a new cam gear anyway to get a better spider, so I'll just replace the whole cam gear along with the crank gear if I have to go back in. The spider does not move now; not at all. Also, I did the job with the engine on the tractor. Surprisingly easy job over all. I used wheel bearing grease to hold the three bottom steel balls in place. Checked their position in the cup with a flashlight to be sure. The rest of the governor parts look real good and the governor pin is right on spec.
I'm just waiting for a new gear cover seal and gear cover gasket from onanparts and I'll button it up. Thanks again, Martin. I'm pretty confident this will fix things the rpm spikes..

Nice looking saw. I have never heard of DOLMAR, but I am not in the market for a saw, therefore not active looking at them.
I have had a Stihl 028 with 20" bar for 25+ years, but do not use it very often.
The ex got the fireplace, and I got the saw!

Welcome Jim!
answer(opinion) to #1...............The 520 will throw it furthest!
answer(opinion) to #2...............Size does matter! At least on a two-stage blower. You require a 16 horse minimum motor and the overwhelming majority will stand with the Onan 20HP in the 520 model.
The 518 comes with a different hydro trannie that you want to avoid if possible! (Eaton 1100 verses the Eaton 700). All 520's have the Eaton 1100! 2cyl better than a single for a
2-stage blower! Other options are a 417A and a C-175 though these are older tractors than the 520's. The 520 is best period.
Answer(opinion) to #3...............See Answer(opinion) #1
Answer(opinion) to #4...............As stated above, the 520's are higher in price. A low hour great shape 520H in the US East will run between 800 to 1500 bucks with a mower deck. The good deals go quickly.
Add to that a two-stage thrower at 700 to 1200 bucks and some weights, chains, and your total rig should cost out average between say 1500 to 2700 bucks for a decent deal.
Answer(opinion) to #5...............Looks good. Make sure you run any automatic tractor while test driving it until it is completely warmed up and try to push something or drive a hill looking for a weakening unit!
Also look at a package deal for a WheelHorse/Toro Xi series tractor. They are newer, heavier and actually better in many respects than the 520 series including some equipped with power steering. An Xi package is more $$$ buck may well be worth it to you! Good Luck!

for all those complaining about no updates, heres one........
got the wiring harness all sorted this morning. it had the typical problems for these models, burnt terminals in molex connectors and the 30 amp fuse terminals were also burnt into the plastic fuse block. so purchased a new fuse block (del city part #73895 $4.14ea) and i used a few molex connectors from the kit i purchased earlier on for 416#1. i went through one area at a time, pulling and cleaning all the terminals or replacing if they were corroded or burnt. the ignition switch plug was also changed out for a good one as it wasn't holding the terminals correctly. all the wiring and plugs that were reused were given a good scrub to get them looking better......
heres a typical problem with the fuse blocks, too much electrical heat causes the terminals to burn or melt into the holder. I've had fuses welded to the terminals as well.
new fuse block
i used just about all the standard harness, cutting off the terminals that were bad and crimping new ones on. here the old fuse terminals have been removed and replaced with new, pushed home into fuse block.
the factory fuse holder has the same bridged terminals as the replacement. the 30 and 25 amp fuses are both fed by a bridged terminal with one wire from the starter. i thought it would be better to run two independent wires from the starter to each fused circuit rather than run all through the one. the 1995 416-8 harness only runs one wire oem, but i noticed that my 1991 416H has two wires....so they did do it at one stage. i just think that running all the current for these 2 circuits through one wire is why this area has a problem in the first place....
this is the two wire fuse bridged terminals, the single wire bridged terminal fell apart from corrosion and being burnt.
these are the replacement ones, they come in a strip of 4 but i already cut them for this application. since i changed my mind and went with single terminals, these weren't needed anymore. the strip also makes it impossible to crimp with the tool i have so the two wire single method worked better for me.
since i wanted to run two wires to feed two circuits here i needed to use a circuit through the engine harness connector.... there are two spare so that is no problem. i picked the one that the engine harness side of the plug has the white wire that runs to the starter. this wire isn't needed on this model, so i will leave this one out and replace with a red power wire. the empty position is in the middle. this is the tractor side of the harness and not the engine side..... the engine side has a white wire from this center position.
so this plug was swapped out, terminals cleaned or replaced and the red wire added.....
this is the white wire at the starter end of the engine harness.....
typical reason why checking these terminals can avoid future problems.....
harness getting there.
made up the pto safety switch assembly, two new switches and replated bracket with new fasteners.....
harness taking shape on hood stand.
also started to clean up the engine ready to go back together.
also got some more parts painted.....

â€¢ I put colored electrical tape on every-other size socket; like Green for 1/2", orange for 3/8", blue for 5/8", and the in-between sizes I can guess when they are all lying there in order. The tape does get nicked up and needs to be replaced every few years.
â€¢ Stopped at a print shop and got a damaged box of big paper, 23x35"; always keep a 2-3" pile of it on the work bench and I work on that, it's whitish, can write notes on it, it's coated but reasonably soft and absorbs spills. When messed up, just discard it and have a clean new area to work on.
â€¢ Mounted a small $10 fan near the ceiling, blowing down on my work bench, warm air down in the Winter, a breeze in the Summer and dries & moves fumes away, turn on-off by plugging in-out the plug, low speed, just noticeable, not fast..
â€¢ Mounted several of those 2' magnetic strips, on the wall in front to hold tools temporarily while I'm working, rather than leaving them on the bench and in my way, then they're put away when I'm all done. Also use a bunch of those magnetic trays to hold screws & small parts while working.
â€¢ Got a adjustable pull-out 30" work-light mounted on the wall behind the workbench, with a bright 100w bulb, great for angling to look horizontal into something.
â€¢ Put some electrical outlets just under and in front of the workbench, keeps the cords of my tools off the workbench & out-of-the-way, can leave them plugged in and just under the bench for quick access anytime. (Got 4 cheap $10 small 4x4" sanders, one for each grit that I most use).
â€¢ We use the large heavy-duty Wastebasket on wheels, and put a 3/4" board on it with a triangle hole (dust pan just fits in it, to dump), the board is the same height as my workbench and the whole thing is very mobile and still a handy wastebasket 'right there" (board lifts off to empty).
RL]
â€¢ And then, my Hoist. Securely bolted on 24' of square Barn Door square Track into the ceiling joists, hung a '$79 Harbor Freight' electric hoist on a bar with the barn door wheel hangers, and for electricity, used a ceiling mount re-coil cord (just cut the light off). It can lift 750# easily, for engine onto bench, tractor up, or hanging anything heavy.

Really had no love for 2 wheel walk behinds. My Dad had a 2 wheeler that I was "required" to use to work the garden when I was a 60 lb. 10 year old. I learned to hate that killer tractor .It had a clutch for each wheel, and if they were not engaged at exactly the same time the handles kicked me in the ribs....It worked me more than I worked It .. Humm,.maybe that was Dads plan. Anyway I had a couple hours this morning to play with this little Model L. I checked the oil, pulled the plug, and spun her with my homemade electric starter. No fire at all. Should I go back to my original plan and CL it as a non-runner ? Well it only has 3 bolts holding the tin on, so off it comes. shined up the magnets with some scotch brite and spun her again. She threw plenty of spark. So , now I think this little tractor is startin to grow on me, and I need to see it run.. So I took the frozen up throttle cable off and pulled the wire out of the sheath and soaked it with PB.
OOPS...gotta run to a Grandsons Basketball tournament....update when I get fuel in her.

Terry, if everyone bows out, I may stand a chance. I was at a union meeting one night, and they used to raffle off things. They had 50 prizes and 51 members present...and you could only win once...guess who went home with nothing. I'm in...Thanks Mate. I was thinking of changing my name, but "rmaynard" is already taken.
BTW...so is "Buckrancher".

During a recent storm the shaft bearings in my 6-6212 snow thrower called it quits, and after disassembling the unit I realized that the the old 3/4" shaft was worn beyond repair. I initially thought about replacing the 3/4" shaft but as others have found out the 3/4" shaft / bearings can be substantially more expensive than the more common 7/8". I was able to find the bearings locally at a farm store, and ordered the shaft, pulley, and sprocket from surplus center (much cheaper than the local farm store!). Here are the part numbers if anyone needs them:
14 tooth - 40 pitch sprocket: 1-2123-14-d $4.40
7/8" Keyed shaft 36" long: 1-2982-87-3 $26.95
5.45" V-belt Pulley: 1-BK57-d $$14.30
Bearing HC205-14 $10.00 ea (2)
3/16" shaft key .50 ea (2)
Total cost of the upgrade: $66.65 (plus $11.00 shipping) ...or about the cost of one OEM 3/4" shaft bearing!
Here is the bearing that I used, fits perfectly into the original bearing holder. (note: leave the holders slightly loose while sliding the new shaft into place, then tighten fully):
I missed taking photos of the assembly process, but here it is completed. I left the shaft long for final alignment of the pulley. You will have to cut the shaft to rough length before you attempt to mount the pulley, 36" is too long otherwise. I also too the opportunity to grease the tensioner pulleys and check the chain tension...maybe this summer the unit will get a paint job!

Take the bracket off of the tractor and drill a 1/4" hole thru the locking lever(s) and the bracket, WITH THE LEVER CLOSED onto a 3/4" bar or bolt.
This pic shows the locking lever with 1/4" hole drilled. Then use a 1/4" clevis pin with a hair pin in it to keep the lever from releasing.

Tried to upload some new pics on the latest project on the Horse but it says "you have exceeded your allotted disk space for attachments"...
Is this something new? Do i need to erase my old pics to upload new ones?

My tractor is 37 years old and still shifts fine. Couple of things to mention. All gear changes must be made with the tractor stopped. There are no synchronizers in the transmission, so shifting on the fly is a no-no. If the belt guard is removed, the input gear never fully stops making shifting impossible or difficult at best. So with that in mind, I don't think you are using the tractor without the guard, but a tab or guide wire may be bent or missing, causing the same effect.
If it is not grinding, but just hard to shift, I would again check the dog-point set screw for adjustment. If that is okay, it may be time to check for low fluid, or water in the oil again.

Most of the bolts will be 1/4"-20, 5/16"-18, and 3/8"-16. There may be some other oddball sizes. I think there are a couple of 7/16"-14. The sticker on the Raider is correct. When that one came out, they called the 3 forward and 1 reverse with Hi/Lo a 6-speed. In later models it was referred to as an 8-speed when they decided to include reverse as one of the speeds.
And
Until you decide to become a supporter, where you will be able to load larger files, you can get a free account at Photobucket.com and upload your pictures there. Then copy the link to the location on Photobucket, click the "image" button in the tool bar here, and paste the URL